To Catch a Falling Star
by Kafzielakai
Summary: Loki falls to Midgard with the express intent of ruling it, but as he meets a few humans and ultimately befriends them, can he stand against them to attain what he wants?  A choice must be made.  Ruling Midgard- it's for their own good, right?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Please note this is my first fanfic in several years. I appreciate critiques and will do my best to make this entertaining. May contain some Loki/OC later on depending on how things go. I hope you enjoy!**

The words were still ringing in his ears as he fell. For hours and hours it seemed all his mind would allow him to experience was that moment – that one-eyed look of disappointment as he pleaded with his father- no, just "Odin" now- to appreciate him. As he fell through the void surrounding Yggdrasil, he could faintly feel his powers being slowly sucked away from him and into the cosmos. He couldn't help but wonder if the fall would kill him. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a terrible death-

"No, Loki."

No.

No, he had to live through this, if only to show Odin what he truly was - of what he was truly capable. Yes. If he couldn't make Odin love him, he would make him loathe him. Stars and galaxies flashed before his glazed jade eyes as he managed to crack a wide sneer. He closed his eyes, lights still flashing from behind his eyelids as heavenly bodies continued to streak past him.

'I'll be sure to make my mark on whichever realm I fall, then Odin will realize the mistake of favoring Thor,' he thought, chuckling. The movement caused his sides to ache and the void seemed to squeeze in on him a little tighter. He winced and allowed himself to fall into unconsciousness. He had more important fights for which to save his energy, after all.

...

The night was clear and the air warm- perfect weather for hanging out at the apartment's pool. Well, "hanging out" might not have been the best term for it. Sidney Wilson sat on the edge of the pool with her feet in the water and a textbook in her lap. Her friend and roommate Russell Martin sat nearby in a sun chair surrounded by a stack of textbooks and notebooks. Since the pool had been vacant throughout the day, Sid had managed to convince Russell to study by the pool instead of being cooped up in the narrow apartment. Aside from Sid idly swishing her feet through the water and the distant sound of crickets singing, all was quiet. As Russell turned a page, the noise seemed to echo through the night.

Sid set her Japanese textbook at her side, leaning back to look at the stars. She was tired of studying and felt she deserved a well-earned break; just as she had deserved all the other breaks taken at 5 minute intervals. As she stared up at the sky, she noticed one star seemed brighter than the others, but the star wasn't in the north… was it?

"Rus, which way is north?" She asked.

Without looking up, Russell pointed behind him. He turned another page.

Sid turned back to the sky, squinting at the sky. This star was directly above them if not slightly in the south, but seemed much brighter than the northern star. It was probably just her imagination, but the star also seemed to be getting bigger.

"Rus, were there any weird astrological events scheduled to happen tonight?"

"Not that I know of," he stated blandly. The "pop" of Russ's highlighter top being removed and the following scratching across the page seemed unnaturally loud.

Sid returned her gaze to the star and furrowed her brow. That star _was_ getting bigger. She stood quickly, scooping up her textbook. It wasn't just getting bigger, it was getting _closer_.

"Rus, what the hell is that?"

Russell popped the cap back onto his purple highlighter before affording a glance at the sky. He quickly pulled out his phone and turned on the sky map app, holding the phone towards the star. Whatever it was, it wasn't a star. He lowered the phone, his mouth falling slightly ajar as he studied the growing light. Whatever it was, it wasn't a star and it wasn't a plane. He stood and quickly began shoving books into a backpack.

"I think we should go inside."

"Inside? What if it's a meteor or-or a UFO? Inside's not gonna help anything."

"I'm going inside. You can just be stupid and stay-."

"It's coming this way!"

Russell huffed, shouldering his pack and reaching to grab Sid by the arm. The object could be heard now as it made its way down from the sky. It was at about the height of a cellphone tower and falling fast right above them. Sid tugged her arm from Russell's grip, never taking her brown eyes from the light. There was something in that light.

"Sid!" Russell had to shout to be heard over the approaching object. Shouting didn't seem to be helping him, though. Sid was glued in place, waiting for the object to land. Of course, Russell assumed the worse. The object was only a few yards away now and its trajectory had it scheduled to land right on top of them. Sid took a single step back, a look of amazement plastered on her upturned face as the light cleared the height of the apartment building. The two onlookers had to shield their eyes and as it got even closer, they had to turn their eyes away entirely.

Sid could see the flash of light disappear through her eyelids and her ears were met with a loud splash. Water splashed up over the side of the pool and over her sandaled feet. She quickly tossed her textbook over the fence and dropped to her knees to peer into the pool. Russell was close at her heels, looking over timidly.

"My god, Rus! It's a person!" Sid quickly threw her phone over the fence to join her textbook and dove into the deep end. Russell could only watch in confusion.

"Don't go after it! What if it's a tentacle monster?"

Sid was too deep to hear him, though. She struggled to keep her eyes open through the chlorinated water as she grabbed the fallen man's jacket. He was heavy- possibly too heavy. She gathered the man into her arms as best she could and tried to kick off from the bottom. The kick was only enough to get her half way to the top. Kicking furiously, she managed to clear the surface.

"Rus! Get-!" She was again submerged by the stranger's weight.

Russell groaned, tossing his phone to the sun chair. "If we end up getting killed or raped, it's all your fault!" He called as he dove in, grabbing the alien being by the arm and quickly made for the side.

With a great deal of huffing and swearing, the two managed to pull the stranger out of the pull. Sid took a moment to study him. He _looked_ human. In fact he looked like a very sexy human.

"I got dibs on CPR. Hey!"

Before she realized what was going on, Russell was already administering CPR. As he began pressing the man's chest he turned to face Sid.

"He's cold. We need to get him inside. He needs an ambulance." He moved to breathe into the other's mouth again.

"He's an alien. Aliens don't go to hospitals."

As the words left her mouth, water began escaping the unconscious man's lips. He coughed weakly and his green eyes made an attempt to open, but quickly fell closed again.

"Are you alright?" Russell asked, shaking the man lightly, "Are you hurt anywhere?"

The man shook his head slightly, letting out a low groan. He seemed to attempt sitting up, but Russell pushed him back down.

"Stay down. Sid, help me carry him inside."

"Right."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update. This week's been a bit hectic due to birthday festivities and what not. Enjoy.**

**…..**

Loki awoke to the feeling of lips against his own- warm and peculiarly soft lips. Strange, he couldn't think of why anyone would be kissing him at a time like this. Last thing he remembered he was-

That's when the lips blew warm air into his mouth and a heavy pressure was dropped repeatedly on his chest. For a split second he was reminded of Thor weighing him down with Mjolinir, but this was more like if Thor had **dropped** the hammer on him… repeatedly. The surprise was enough to make him cough. As he did, a torrent of water spouted from his mouth and trickled down his chin. Why was he wet? He attempted to open his eyes and heard a deep voice.

"Are you alright?"

Loki managed to open his eyes to catch a glimpse of the man sitting over him. His red hair was slicked down with water and freckles covered his face, shoulders and arms. His black tank top and khaki cargo pants were clinging to him. "Are you hurt?" The man asked. Loki closed his eyes again and managed to shake his head. The motion was excruciatingly painful. He couldn't just lie around, though. Pain or no, he had to get moving. After all, Heimdall might be watching. The last thing he needed was to be interrupted by his meddling… "foster family". He attempted to sit up, but the pain in his back and sides was too much to bear quietly. As he grunted, attempting to ignore the pain, a hand pushed him back down and he didn't fight it. The red head called out to someone else, but Loki wasn't listening. Strong hands gripped his shoulders and another set of hands grabbed for his feet. He realized he was going to be taken somewhere- hopefully somewhere warm and dry. He didn't like the idea of relying on humans for help, but it was better than lying around soaking wet and in pain.

**…..**

"Go get some towels while I get him out of this stuff," the male ordered.

"How come you get to strip him?" a feminine voice complained

"Because I'm pretty sure he'd rather have a male do it than a perverted woman."

"Yeah, I'm sure he'd prefer the perverted gay guy over me-."

"Just go!"

"Right."

Loki's eyes were forced open and a bright light shined into them. He managed to pull away, squeezing his eyes shut. His armor was being tugged at by the red head from earlier. Loki could tell he was having trouble but saw no reason to help him. He certainly didn't feel like moving.

"What's your name?" The red head asked, managing to remove his cloak.

"Loki." He realized instantly that he probably should have gone with a pseudonym. This humans had no need to know his true identity… yet. The breast plate followed the cloak making a soft thump on the wet carpet nearby. The god felt much lighter, but also much colder now. He heard feet padding across the floor toward him and a rough material pressed against his face.

"Hold still," the female ordered, rubbing his face with the towel. Loki grabbed and managed to jerk the cloth from her with a warning growl. It hurt to move, but he would not be humiliated by being toweled down like an invalid. He struggled to sit up and wrapped the towel around his neck before tearing the dark green tunic over his head and letting it fall with a wet thud to the ground. He felt a hand supporting the back of his head as if he would fall over, but the hand seemed smaller than the one he had felt push him down earlier. As he managed to open his eyes through his splitting headache, a red blanket was wrapped around him tightly.

"Go get him some aspirin," the female called. She dragged the trickster unceremoniously to the couch and propped him up against several pillows. "You're gonna be alright, Loki."

The god didn't feel like responding. It was warmer here than outside had been, but he could tell these living quarters were cramped- cheap would be a more accurate description, he thought with a sneer. He chanced a glance at the brunette woman sitting next to him. She was fairly average in appearance, but her eyes seemed surprisingly bright despite their dark color. Her plaid button-up and the black top beneath it were clinging to her and her short brown hair was beginning to frizz as it dried. He could only assume she had assisted in his retrieval from outside. She smiled down at him with a nervous expression.

"Where are you-?"

"Leave him alone, Sid. He's tired," the male interrupted, pushing her to the side and placing a cup in Loki's hand, "Take this. It will help with the pain."

Loki had heard of Midgardian medicine, but he didn't feel confident in it. He would much rather not take this archaic healing item, but he knew the two humans surrounding him would pester him if he didn't. Humans had a tendency to be rather assertive when it came to medicine- or so he had read anyway. Grudgingly, he popped the pill in his mouth and followed with a draught of water. Disgusting.

"Do you think you need to go to the hospital?" the female asked. Loki shook his head. He had watched from Asgard the ordeal Thor had gone through in such a facility and he had no interest in experiencing it for himself. The girl tucked the red blanket around him tighter and moved to take his boots off.

"Well you can stay here-."

"Sid." The male's voice held a tone of apprehension.

"He's fine, Russell. I'll keep an eye on him," she turned her attention back to Loki, who quickly shut his eyes as if he were too tired to be bothered, "I'm Sidney and this is Russell. If you need anything, just let one of us know, ok?"

Loki took a deep breath as he nodded. He didn't like the idea of staying here, but until he healed it was the best for which he could hope. Russell took the cup of water from him and sat it on the coffee table in front of the couch after pushing a few papers to the side. Books and notes seemed to be slowly consuming the little room like a mold. It sort of reminded Loki of his sleeping quarters except smaller- **much** smaller, and bland in color. The colorful books were the only decorations in the room aside from the black couch on which he laid, the black coffee table adjacent to him, and the occasional lamp or what he assumed to be "electronic" devices. How in the nine realms could someone live in such bland and cramped conditions?

"Sid, you go ahead and get a shower. I'll be sleeping out here tonight," Russell said. Though he addressed Sid, his green eyes locked on Loki's own as if to express a warning. This made the trickster smirk- as if this puny human could stop him from causing trouble if he so desired! He closed his eyes, the pain in his body still prevalent but obviously fading. No, tonight would not be a night for mischief, but once he healed, he would lay out his plans as soon as possible. If he managed to fit some trouble into the works, it would be all the better. He pulled the blankets around him tighter and rolled away from Russell. He could feel the red head's eyes pressing into his back. The trickster found his attempts at intimidation amusing. Yes, as soon as he was healed, Loki would have fun wiping that confident look from Russell's face. With this thought, he slept.

**...**

**Please feel free to review! Any input would be much appreciated! Again, thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Finally I get to the fun part! Sorry if this chapter gets to be a bit long. :-D Enjoy!**

…**..**

Loki awoke to the smell of cooking. As he opened his eyes a plate appeared before him on the coffee table. He looked around him in his morning confusion. Why was he on a couch? Loki, prince- …or _former_ prince of Asgard did** not** sleep on couches.

"Morning, sunshine."

This human- his name was Russell wasn't it? Yes, Russell. The occurrences of the night before began coming back to him. He nodded to the red head and took the plate covered in hash browns and scrambled eggs. As the trickster picked at his food, Russell sat across from him on the corner of the coffee table, pushing a few stacks of paper to the floor.

"So let's talk," Russell stated, taking a sip of black liquid from his mug. Loki looked up at him in displeasure. Couldn't this mortal see he had only just awoken? He was certainly not in the mood for petty conversation. "Where are you from?" The red head continued, crossing his legs, his black boxer shorts revealing a little more than Loki was comfortable dealing with at the moment. Nevertheless, he continued picking at his eggs, not breaking eye contact.

"Nowhere in particular," he finally answered, taking another bite of hash browns.

"What were you doing falling from the sky last night, then?"

"Don't be silly. I didn't fall from the sky."

"You fell in our pool from the sky."

"Nonsense. People don't fall from the sky, especially not me."

"Look, I'm not in the mood for this. You look like something out of a Dungeons and Dragons game, you call yourself Loki and I saw you fall from the sky last night."

"How can you be so sure of what you saw?" Loki took another bite of eggs, "And what's so wrong with my name?"

"You were surrounded in light and-."

"Poppycock," another bite of hash browns. He was trying to seem calm and oblivious. Russell let out a loud growl and uncrossed his legs.

"I know what I saw, alright."

"If you say so."

At that moment, an obviously exhausted female stumbled into the living room, kicking things out of her way as she struggled towards what Loki imagined could only be the kitchen. Sig? Sif? No, no, her name was Sid, he remembered. Russell turned in her direction.

"Coffee's on the table with breakfast. Didn't this guy fall from the sky?" he called, seeking confirmation. Humans always liked to know they weren't the only ones who saw something.

"Yup. Like a meteor. A really hott meteor." Sid took her place at the bar separating the kitchen from the living room and took a sip of coffee. "Wish I had gotten the memo about men falling out the sky sooner. I'd have gotten me a big net or something, right Russ?"

"See. You can't deny it now. We both saw what happened. Explain."

"For Zeus's sake, Russ, leave him alone. It's too early for this."

"We might be onto some sort of major discovery here! What if he's an alien?"

"Then I hope he's not a tentacle monster like you originally hypothesized."

"You're impossible, Sid."

"And you're going to be late for class."

Russell huffed and drank the rest of his coffee in one draught. "Fine, but he's not staying here while we're out."

"No shit." Her mouth was full of hash browns. "I'll drop him off at the library before class and you can pick him up afterwards."

"Good." Russell promptly got up and took his dishes to the kitchen before disappearing down the hall. Loki heaved a mental sigh of relief. Finally he could eat his breakfast in peace.

"Ya know, you can tell us stuff if you want," Sid said around her food. So much for peace. Nearly as quickly as he had disappeared Russell reemerged from his room dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. With a quick "See you" he was out the door. A few books fell to the floor somewhere after the door slammed behind him. From the kitchen, Loki could hear Sidney dealing with the dishes.

"If you're done just leave your stuff out there. I'll get it later. We better get ready if we wanna catch the bus." Loki couldn't place her accent, but it was slow and almost elegant, even if some of her words sounded a bit slurred together. He stood and dusted himself off, smoothing out the wrinkles in his britches.

"You can borrow some of my clothes," Sid said as she returned from the kitchen.

"Wouldn't it be more appropriate to borrow some of Russell's clothing?"

"You've obviously never dealt with a gay man and clothes, have you?" She chuckled. She motioned for Loki to follow her and, preferring not to have to wander around Midgard shirtless and in leather britches, he followed.

Sid's room was just as messy as the living room had been, but not so much with books and papers. The walls were covered in various posters and art pieces. Some had gaudy colored men in tight fitting clothes with silly captions like "Aquaman", "Captain America", and "Green Arrow", others were more tasteful pieces of sceneries from what the trickster assumed to be faraway lands with bright pink trees, towers with strange architecture and mountains. The floor was equally littered with clothing, blankets and the occasional technological device, none of which he recognized. As the trickster studied his surroundings, Sid threw clothes at him from her closet, adding to the pile on the floor.

"Those should fit."

Loki bent to pick them up. The coarse pants- "jeans" he remembered, seemed too big for his slim build. The shirt seemed to be of an appropriate size. He turned the orange shirt in his hands. It read in large white letters on the back "Clemson Tigers". He couldn't help wrinkling his nose at it. Orange was not his color.

"Everyone wears orange on Fridays. Kind of a tradition thing. You'll fit in better," Sid explained. She didn't seem to be very happy about the color orange either. "You can go in the bathroom and change. Just wear your boots under the jeans, alright?"

"Russell wasn't wearing orange."

"That's because redheads are exempt from the rule because orange clashes with his hair- or so he says. Get goin'. We've gotta bus to catch."

With that, Loki was brusquely shoved out the door. He couldn't decide who he liked less- Sid or Russell. Russell may have been a bit harsh with him, but he was finding Sid to be exceedingly pushy. At least Russell was fun to aggravate. Without bothering to go to the bathroom as the brunette had suggested, he stripped out of his britches and slid on the clothes given him. He found his boots with the rest of his armor beside the couch and quickly put them on. The more he wore the orange shirt, the more obnoxious it became. He tugged at it, trying to smooth it out. He knew he would simply have to deal with it. Without his powers fully restored he had no choice but to try to fit in among the mortals. Joy.

…

The bus was packed with students, many of whom were clad in orange and all of them seemed to be preoccupied with some sort of book, notes or cellphone- except Loki. Loki and Sid had been lucky enough to grab seats; though Sid told him a true gentleman would let one of the ladies standing nearby have his seat. This did not concern him though. Sid was now engrossed in a stack of flashcards with strange writing on them.

"So, _Loki,_" She said, emphasizing his name, "You're not some sort of trickster frost giant or something, are you?"

Loki practically jumped out of his skin. He **did**, however, jump out of his seat.

"What in the nine realms would make you think such a terrible thing?" He hissed. He could feel the anger building up inside of him. How did this otherwise oblivious mortal seem to know such a highly guarded secret? Sid looked at him in shock.

"Whoa, chill out. It was a joke. I was making reference to Norse mythology. You know, Loki- God of Mischief? He was a frost giant- not that there's anything wrong with being a frost giant. He also gave birth to an eight-legged horse."

Sleipnir? She even knew of his son?

"And where did you learn such nonsense?" He tried not to growl. He was so angry he didn't even notice when a girl took his seat.

"It's Norse mythology. Look, when I drop you off at the library I'll hook you up with a book on it, ok? Chill."

The trickster took a deep breath and slowly let it out. This human knew nothing. She did not truly associate him with this Norse god. For all she knew the Loki she spoke of was just a storybook character. Sid focused on her flashcards again. She didn't bother to look up until they reached their stop, at which point she stood quickly and began shoving Loki towards the door through the crowded bus. A few girls winked at him as he passed, but he was too preoccupied with other thoughts to play with them. He had to find out exactly what Sid knew- or more precisely **didn't **know she knew- about him.

As they stepped off the platform, more students filed out around them. Sid pointed to a large building on a bridge over a shining pond.

"The library. That's where we're going," she set off at a brisk pace which Loki easily matched, "you won't be able to check anything out, but you can look around all you want. Russell will be over in a little over an hour to get you and then I'll meet you two for lunch. And then-."

Loki did not like the way her smile looked. It looked like the way he smiled when he had come up with a grand prank, but surely this human was not intelligent enough to plan anything he couldn't handle-

"We party. All. Night. Long."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Still trying to work on Loki's characterization. Let me know if you notice any problems. Thanks for reading!**

Loki was halfway through the second book on Norse mythology Sid had found for him after an hour. He had skimmed over the parts of Thor or other members of the Aesir, though he was admittedly impressed with how well the humans captured the thunderer's buffoonish temper. They had made a few mistakes here and there and even come up with a few pranks he had yet to pull, though he was now strongly considering them. Taking Iddun's golden apples? The idea of such a challenge made his icy heart flutter a bit. After he made his mark on Midgard, he would certainly plan on making such an attempt. Unlike his mythological counterpart, however, he would not be returning the apples. He felt his face stretch into a toothy sneer at the thought of Odin and Thor losing the battle against old age. As he read again the story of Loki leading Thor into Joutenheim dressed as a bride (this story was his favorite), Russell walked through the doors into the large atrium in which the Trickster was reclining.

"There you are. Ready to head out?" The redhead asked.

"I would like to take this book with me," Loki said, not looking up from the large tome in his lap. He was interested to see what other tricks mortals had ascribed him. He was also interested in a "Coyote" character to which humans often compared him.

"Sid's got that same book at home, actually," Russell sounded tired, "Let's get some lunch."

"Ohhh is this a date?" Loki purred, peering seductively over his book at the lanky young man in front of him. He was happy to see the redhead's freckles take on a bright pink backdrop as he cast his gaze to the side. He was trying to act composed and cool and failing at it. How cute.

"If you would like-."

"On second thought, you're not my type," Loki stated with a small pout as he dropped the books next to him and stood, exaggerating every movement he made. He realized he was giving the orange t-shirt he wore an unjustified allure by looking as sexy as he did now. Russell simply shrugged, turning towards the door. "Good, that means Sid can pay for you lunch." Despite his haughty tone, Loki could see in his eyes that the redhead was a bit wounded. It made him smile. "Beside," Russell continued, "I've already dated more than my fair share of greasy sleazebags."

Loki had not been this taken aback in a while. Was this mortal _insulting_ him? He straightened his shoulders and put on his best proud, blasé face. "How quickly you jump to assumptions."

With a few strides the Schemer caught up with his escort as they exited the library. He wasn't _greasy_… but nonetheless, he ran a hand through his long black hair just to make sure. No, he was clean, well-groomed and perfect as always … aside from the damnably garish orang t-shirt. Even without his magic, Loki knew he was a sight to behold, especially to these humans who all seemed to match one another. All the orange clothing didn't help them, either. He glared at his guide's back and secretly reveled in the thought of making him regret that insult as they made their way along a winding sidewalk through a serious of large buildings and around the pond in front of the library which now sparkled in the warm afternoon sun. Without a word they continued on past a large field on which many young women were laying around in various states of disrobement on towels reading or chatting. Loki allowed himself to slow his step a bit to watch two particularly attractive women throwing a disk back and forth. A nearby clock tower began to chime as Loki found himself colliding into Russell's back. The girls had been waving at him and he was doing his best to look flirtatious. He chanced a glance back at the girls after his collision to see they were laughing now.

"Not your type indeed," Russell growled, rolling his eyes. Loki smiled, glad to know he was getting under the youth's skin. He hadn't been particularly interested in the girls, he just enjoyed the game of flirting and, like all games, he was unfairly good at it. They waited for a mechanical voice to tell them to walk before crossing a busy street towards a long row of buildings. From the sights and smells, Loki presumed them to be shops and food stops. He felt his stomach growl. He hadn't realized how long he had been without food. They stopped at one of the many doors and Russell made his way inside. Before following, Loki stopped to read the window- "The Pita Pit". He frowned at how unappetizing it sounded, but followed the redhead inside nonetheless.

Russell was already seated at a booth near the window and Loki slid in across from him, folding his long hands on the table. Russell was glaring at him intently- studying him, more likely, for some sort of alien mutation he hadn't yet noticed. Loki heaved a sigh and took one of the menus to look over, ignoring the redhead's existence entirely. A waiter approached them to ask about drinks and Russell ordered for himself, Sid and, to the Asgardian's dismay, Loki – Dr. Pepper for the humans and water for the god. The time passed slowly and quietly as the two waited for their female companion. Loki never took his eyes from the menu and Russell never took his eyes from Loki. Was he trying to incite a fight? Or perhaps he was amorously attracted. Loki cast a threatening glance at the redhead to study, but the student's gaze did not fall or waiver. His green eyes seemed to say 'I don't trust you, and it would make me happy if you left'. If that was how he felt, Loki wasn't going anywhere any time soon. As he shot the other male with an equally threatening smirk, Sid bustled in, sliding into the booth next to Russell muttering about something unimportant. The waiter brought their drinks.

Sid took a huge sip of her Dr. Pepper, nearly emptying the glass in one gulp. She let out a sigh and muttered something Loki didn't understand before turning to him.

"So, where are you from? Really."

This was the question Loki had been expecting and simultaneously dreading. He had two choices: tell the truth or tell a lie. His track record was leaning towards lying, but there was something terribly tempting in telling them he was a prince of a faraway kingdom. Perhaps they would treat him with a bit more respect. On the other hand, if he revealed his identity as Loki, god of mischief, every mishap would be blamed on him from here on out. Then again, these humans could do nothing to stop his antics even if they wanted. Loki heaved a sighed. There was no getting around it- the truth was the best way to go… or at least the version of the truth he would be telling them.

"Asgard."

"You read up on Norse mythology and decide to take up your namesake's history or something?" Russell asked, sounding too triumphant for his own good.

"Actually," Sid interjected, "he might be telling the truth. Earlier I called him a frost giant and he got extremely pissed off."

"Who wouldn't get angry at being called a frost giant?"

"I'm just saying we'll have to take his story with a grain of salt just like we would no matter what he said. It would certainly explain him falling from the sky and all."

"But the Norse gods used a rainbow to travel. I didn't see any rainbow trailing after him when he landed in our pool."

"A pity too. Then we could've called him Nyan Cat." Loki didn't like Sid's grin. He cleared his throat to interrupt.

"The Bifrost is broken. Upon finding out father would be naming me his successor, my idiotic brother threw a tantrum and smashed the bridge to pieces. I tried to stop him, but he simply pushed me off the edge of the bridge after it broke." That's how it _should_ have happened, anyway.

"Loki didn't have a brother," Sid pointed out.

"You humans were wrong. I am not a Jotun, nor am I Odin's blood brother. I am his son," it took everything in him not to flinch at these words, "and Thor is my brother."

Sid sat back thoughtfully and scratched her chin. "Did you really give birth to a horse?" Loki gaped at her. She could ask him, a higher being, any question in the universe, and she picked this one?

"Yes. However, he is my only son, contrary to human belief."

"Bet that hurt like a bitch."

"It was a day I will certainly not soon forget. But to continue with my explanation, I can only assume that the others have decided I died after falling from the Bifrost so I imagine Thor will be named as heir now. Once I regain my powers I will be going back to regain my place in the kingdom and prevent that overgrown fool from inhabiting the throne for the good of Asgard." -_After_ he took over Midgard. The waiter approached again and took their order. Again Russell ordered for Loki, but Loki managed to interrupt. "Actually, I would like this please," he said, pointing to the most expensive item he had found on the menu. The waiter nodded, scribbling it down before walking away.

"I just figured you wouldn't know what to order," Russell explained.

"I didn't, but I would rather not have my food ordered for me."

"Hey, does that mean you can do magic tricks?" Sid interjected. She obviously hadn't been paying attention to the two men talking. Loki frowned. "Well, normally I could, but my fall from the Bifrost took most of my powers. I had to use what I had left to heal myself from the fall. It will take some time before I regain them."

"Just a little tiny one?" she begged.

Loki sighed, though he couldn't help but smile just a little. Asguardians had no interest in his abilities, but Sid would probably be impressed with even the simplest of tricks. He took a deep breath. Yes, he had enough energy for something small. He hated to waste it now, but he couldn't resist showing off. He snapped his fingers and Sid's glass instantly became full. "Drink it," he ordered with a smile. The brunette obeyed unquestioningly, her eyes going wide.

"It's wine!"

Russell took the glass from her, taking a drink. "And damn good wine at that," he stated, sliding his glass of Dr. Pepper to where Sid's had been before taking another sip. The girl began to complain but Russell cut her off with a look. "You don't handle wine well, remember?"

"You think I don't handle any kind of alcohol well."

"That's because you don't."

"That reminds me!" Sid turned to Loki, seeming to ignore her friend's comment, "You're going out with us tonight, right?"

"Sid!"

"What? He can't just stay at the apartment, you know! It might be fun! Wouldn't you like to dance with him?" She was nudging the redhead with her elbow.

"Absolutely not." The comment was obviously pointed at Loki as was his disapproving glare. Loki took a sip of his water, ignoring the comment entirely. He heaved a deep and troubled sounding sigh. "I suppose."

"You don't have to," Russell snarled, "You could hang out under the bridge if you'd prefer."

"Is there something interesting under the bridge?"

"Traffic and the occasional raccoon."

"As exciting as that sounds in comparison, I would probably receive more benefit from accompanying you. Perhaps I could learn more about you humans."

"You little shit."

Loki shot him his most charming and mischievous smile. "Now now, one mustn't talk to royalty that way."

"Royalty my ass-."

"As fun as that innuendo sounds, you're not my type, remember?"

Russell made to stand, but the waiter arrived just before he could start an argument. Sid tugged the redhead back into his seat and thanked the waiter for their food.

"Jesus, what did this guy do to get you so riled up, Rus?" She asked, taking a huge bite out of the sandwich in front of her.

"I just don't like his attitude."

"He's a foreigner."

"He's a prick."

"Russell…"

"Why are you taking his side? You don't even know him!"

"I'm not taking his side, I just feel bad for him! He's obviously not human so he's probably totally lost and we're the only support he's got."

"And what makes you so sure he's not human? Maybe he's just pulling a big scam on us."

"Well for one thing he fell from the friggin' sky," Loki couldn't help but notice her accent was getting… _worse_, "and he survived falling from the sky without so muchasa bruise. I don' knowabou' you, but that seems pretty damn not human ta me."

"Well that sounds like a pretty damn good reason to send him on his way!"

"Yur not thinkin' this through. If he wanted to hurt us he'da done it by now," She had a point. She was also getting significantly louder, "We're of more use to him alive than dead an' if he _did_ wan' us dead, he'd do it if we kicked him out, right?"

"You just think he's hott."

"Course he's friggin' hott, but that doesn't mean I trust him or anything."

Loki sighed, and focused on the wrap in front of him. As much as he enjoyed being the center of their argument he was hungry. He took a bite and found the item surprisingly tasty. As he chewed over his food and watched the two across from him continue to argue- Sid's accent was so bad now due to her anger it sounded like she was making up words- he couldn't help but think if he could cause this much trouble for the two just by existing, imagine what he could do when he tried to annoy the piss out of them. The thought made him smile as he took another bite of his pita wrap.

**A/N: Dammit, I really wanted to get to the clubbing scene in this chapter, but looks like it's not gonna happen. By the way, if you're struggling to place Sid's accent, she's southern. **_**Very**_** southern.**


End file.
